Growth Starts When You Stop Being the Smartest in the Room

Top of the morning to you. Look, last time we connected was a wee while ago and I wanted to update you on some of my travel, some of the incredible people I've met, the books I'm reading in the hopes that it will serve you on your mission. Look, since we last chatted I've been Singapore, Hong Kong and Fiji and just blown away by what's happening in those regions, by some of the innovation I'm seeing and I think we could bring in to our own lives. So all I wanted to share just a few things that I'm learning, one app that I'm using that's really transforming my productivity. If you want to get two full work days back of free time every two months, this is for you, right? So just over a workday each month. If you want to get that back by doing nothing different, this one app I'm going to share with you will change the game and I'll make sure that my team put the link to that app in the the show notes. It's phenomenal. So start with Hong Kong. So I headed through to Hong Kong and delivered a keynote there and I guess when I'm working with people delivering keynotes I like to get to understand what their unique challenges are, what their perspective on the world is. This group delivered a very high end luxury product and for them market changes in terms of macro like when big things happen, macroeconomic level or there's war or there's, you know, Mr. Trump does some things that influences the share market. It can really impact their model of operating. That luxury end can often be a thing that people push aside. So I was talking to them about mindset and how incredibly important mindset is in navigating uncertainty. Over the years I've worked with leaders of armies and governments and, and they deal with a lot of uncertainty. But the one thing that they're in control of is their mindset and the one thing they can influence is the mindsets of others. And so I really spent time with them in Hong Kong saying this is how you adopt a possibilitarian mindset. That's the mindset of looking through the lens of what's possible rather than just focusing on problems. Let's face it, people who focus on problems dime a dozen people who are facing problems, but focus on possibilities. One in a million. Which one do you want to be? Do you want to be the minuscularian, the person with minuscule small thinking or the person who truly looks through the lens of possibilitarian looking through the lens of what's possible. In that keynote, my goal was to equip them with tools to be possibilitarians and that's what I love. When I go in working with teams or delivering workshops, how can I equip them? It's not about just inspiration. Yeah, I want to tick that box for sure. I want them to go away and go, that was epic. However, I want them to also go away and go, whoo. That was practical. That helped. There's one tool I can use. So in Hong Kong, got to catch up with some other leaders from different industries, the food and beverage industry in particular. That was interesting. Then I flew through to Singapore and it's a fascinating place. It's the size of Lake Taupo in geographic size, but it's got six and a half million people. Obviously they've scaled upwards, but it works, it's smooth. Innovation is right at the heart of what they do and how they think. I met up with my old high school mate who was one of the early staff members at Facebook and he's not at Stripe, but I sat down and had a really awesome. We went to like a local hole in the wall restaurant and he brought along one of his mates for me to meet who's the head of Facebook or Meta for Asia Pacific. And we just sat and chatted about how they see the world, what drives growth at Facebook, what drives decisions around hiring or firing. And very interesting to see that that neck of the woods faces very similar issues that we do here in New Zealand and Australia. And the one thing that helps them navigate it is leadership and innovation. Leadership and innovation. I'll repeat that again. Leadership and innovation, like that's what we need in abundance is great. Leaders who want to innovate. What got us to here will not get us to there. We need people who are willing to take risks and to move forward. So I had a bit of fun in Singapore too. Got to see around the city. Did a four hour bike tour. Oh my God, it was awesome. I sweated buckets. I'll be honest, the humidity there is nuts for this Irish guy. But I loved it. Got to see all the different influences. The one thing I love about it is that there's so many cultures and they all blend together quite beautifully. And there's a very open mindset in Singapore. They have high standards, rules and expectations as a government, that's for sure. I don't think it's a bad thing either, but there's very open mindset around technology, work, how we work, growth, finance. It's Amazing. And of course they have such great, great businesses there, great food there. I'll be honest. Yeah, I really indulged. But I think it's important to get away and try new things. So I wrote down a few things I learned about myself on that trip that I thought I'd just share with you. So number one, I feel like my routine helps me battle jet lag. What I mean by that is like I get up at 5am no matter where I am in the world and I feel that that really, really helps. There's the odd occasion when I'll have a sleep in, but it's odd. Not weekly, but that 5am rigid get up time allows me to adapt. So I didn't get any jet lag in the Hong Kong, Singapore trip. The other thing I learned about myself is that I feel like I'm the least. I'm just reading from my journal by the way, for those that are watching wonder why I'm looking down. I feel like I'm the least intelligent person at most tables I sit at. And you know what? I plan to keep it that way. I genuinely feel like I've got the least brain cells at most tables I sit at. You know that lunch table I'm sitting at with my mate, high school mate and the head of Facebook, Least intelligent person at the table. Do you go listen to him right now? But I loved it and I asked a bunch of questions and hey, they were equally as curious and they asked lots of questions too, but I still felt like they were the geniuses and I plan to stay that way when I feel like I'm the smartest person in the room. I know I'm not growing and yeah, there's some rooms you got to go in and give back. I get that. But you don't want to spend your entire life doing that. Growing is essential.

I also realized that I'm a simple requirements traveler. So I don't go crazy and do the skydiving. I don't do crazy and eat snake and drink snake blood. I don't do that. Like I'm pretty simple. But I do like to see where I am and I do like staying in nice places. And I don't mean that from a braggadocious standpoint, but I love having a safe space in a nice part of town that's close to things, that's got the amenities. I just, when I'm away from home, I just like it. And I've not always been able to do that or afford that. So I'm really grateful really grateful that I get to stay in these cool cities and stay in a place that I feel safe and comfortable. Those will be things I learned about myself, what I'm learning about others. People in Southeast Asia are worrying about similar things to you and I certainty the future AI, you know, in the conversations I had with people, at an amazing conversation with a lady called angel who is the head of a large food and beverage company in, in Singapore. And we're talking just about what she sees and how she sees the world. And they're future focused, her and her team. So future focused. But people are at the center of everything they do, people, not just tech and AI people. And that's not going to change. She's a relationship guru, understands how to create, maintain and sustain great relationships. And in all of my interactions with people all around Southeast Asia, I, I appreciated that. Relationships are going to be the gold. They always have been, but they're going to be the gold.

What else did I learn? Leaders are too busy to slow down, to think laterally and often to read. I learned more and more that these leaders I'm meeting with, many of them are too busy to read now. They can't afford to do that. They simply can't. We must be reading, we must be learning, we must slow down. If we want to think broad and lateral, we've got to slow down the pace. That's the one thing I guess the value I try to add with these leaders I meet is there's certain tactics and tools that I have, all of my clients, my one to one clients do, that will allow these leaders to stay at the forefront of their industry, to innovate, to be sought after and to have great family lives. So those are a couple of things I learned. Another thing I learned was that those who rise to the top do so by working hard with consistency. You're going, James, this ain't rocket science. Of course that's the case. But only a few people make it to the top because most people give up on whey most people look for shortcuts. Most people want to download the app or get there quick. I would say get there slowly. You'll learn a lot more, you'll make a lot more friends, you'll appreciate the destination when you get there and you'll be equipped. So let's say slow down is the key. So couple other things I wanted to share. Books going great. So for all of you who've been buying Habits of high performers, I love you, I appreciate you. It means the world. And look, we hit Number one bestseller and you helped us do that. But I think that the key.

For me anyway to the success of the book is its ongoing success. And it only ongoingly successful succeeds after launch month if people actually like it and they tell others about it. So I got this LinkedIn message. Someone dropped into my LinkedIn DMs and they said.

Here we go. I'm not normally an avid absorber of personal development books, but yours has become the exception. I was like, oh, this is interesting. Only a quarter of the way in so far and I'm already quoting you. Common sense isn't common practice. 10 priorities are not priorities, they're a to do list. And don't let the important many distract you from the critical few. So I was like, right away, bam, I've got this message. Most of my LinkedIn messages I don't read my emails. My team checks those and they put the really important ones in a little inbox for me to check. So out of 100 emails, I might read three. So I just, I can't keep up. But it's got to the point where I had to implement some systems, right? So this one made it through. But perhaps, she says perhaps most timely was the concept of the VP decision making filter. So in the book, for those that have got it, you'll know I've shared with you my personal decision making filter. The one that has helped many billionaires, millionaires, leaders, captains of sport teams make the big decisions. I shared in there. So she said this is the one that really shifted things. Now she shared some very important detail about her company and where she used this decision making filter. I won't share that, that's confidential. Uh, but she said as a result of actually using your VP filter and not just weighing up pros and cons, she said instead of feeling anxious about where the structure will land, I'm feeling excited about the future and empowered, knowing I'll be taking steps to get closer to living a life based on my values and priorities. In any case, I'm telling anyone who will listen what a game changer this has been and have even got a number of people to buy your book. Thank you so much, you legend. I appreciate it. I'm sure you hear this often, but I'd literally describe this experience of reading your book as life changing. Now I'd better get to the remaining three quarters of the book. Can only imagine where I'll be after that. Thanks for the impact you've had. As I read that, I'm still like, I don't know, feeling deeply grateful, moved, almost like the book that I've put out there. I hoped people would like, I hoped it would be impactful. But to get this from someone I've never met before.

Reaching out, saying that this one concept just a quarter of the way into the book has changed my life. That's what it's all about that makes it so worthwhile. So thank you to that individual, you know who you are and yes, I did go back to them. I deeply appreciate it. And for those that want to be a high performer and sustain high performance in your industry, your hobby, your family life, your health, I promise you the book will help you. It will serve you. It's not another self help book. It's a practical, pragmatic playbook or a masterclass designed to take you right through it in a specific order. That's the key, very specific order that I take my clients through. So I hope you enjoy the book. If you haven't got it, it's in the link in the show notes, Habits of high performers. Available all good bookstores in Australia, New Zealand. So anything else that's on your mind, I would like to know. I'm a big believer in learning from what people's greatest challenges are. So if there's anything you're struggling with right now, could you let my team know? I'd really appreciate that. Let us, let us know what you're struggling with. Let us know what your challenges are. Let us know what you're focused on trying to solve right now. That would be really, really cool. And I'm going to let you in on something. So I was chatting with Caroline recently and about five years ago we hosted a private invite only Mastermind retreat down in Queenstown. And a number of people applied and we went down and flew in. A former world leader, they spent the day with us, we jumped in helicopters, went up on the ice and it was awesome. And a really good opportunity to get away from the day to day hustle. In 2026, we're planning to have a high performance retreat. Again by application only. I would like to know, would you like to come? Right. I just want to gauge your interest to start with before we get into planning, it'll as I say, be by invite only. It'll be people who are high performers, ambitious, they care about getting healthier, happier, more financially abundant. They care about building a masterful network that will help them in their lives both personally and professionally. So if you think you'd like to come and do a multi day retreat, can you please Let me know or let my team know. And you can let us know by DMing me on LinkedIn. You can send my team an email, carolinejlochlan.com on Instagram. You can DM me wherever you hang out. Just say, James, you mentioned that you might be doing a retreat in 2026. I'd be keen to jump on the wait list and then I'll let you know where we go from there. So I just want to gauge the interest to start with, but certainly I'd bring in some amazing people, like last time we had a former prime minister. The next time we probably have very similar caliber of people, but spending quality time away from work, away from the hustle and bustle, to go deep on what matters most. So do let me know. And I hope you have an epic day ahead. I hope this has served you. This has got you thinking about what you're learning about yourself. I just wanted to share a little bit more vulnerably today about what I was learning about me. So my challenge right back to you is what have you learned about yourself in the last month? What have you learned about others in the last month? I'd love to know. I really would love to know. So for now, please keep doing what you're doing in your industry, in your family, keep doing the right thing, living by your values. And for those that are reading the book, thank you. If you could leave me a book review, I'd love you. So I'll put a Goodreads link in the show notes. If you leave me a review, I would deeply appreciate it a lot. But for now, please get out there and lead your life on purpose.